Siemens eHighway Trucks are Powered by Overhead Electrical Wires

It's no secret that massive commercial vehicles barreling down the road churn out a great deal of road pollution, and the Siemens eHighway initiative is testing a new type of truck that would run on electricity -- but not in the way one would think.

Using the overhead electrical power line system that works successfully in trams and railway cars, the company has come up with a half-electric, half-diesel hybrid vehicle that can easily switch between the two power sources.

When driving along on a roadway where power lines exist, the truck automatically expels a pantograph from the roof and links up to the overhead wires. When the truck shifts onto a highway where no lines are available for use, the vehicle's internal system retracts the connector and switches to an efficient, low-emission motor.